BroadSoft Inc.
BroadSoft Inc. is a company.
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Key people at BroadSoft Inc..
BroadSoft Inc. is a company.
Key people at BroadSoft Inc..
Key people at BroadSoft Inc..
BroadSoft Inc. was a leading provider of cloud-based software and services enabling telecommunications service providers to deliver Unified Communications (UC) services, including voice, video, messaging, and collaboration, to enterprise customers worldwide.[1][4] Its core platform, BroadWorks, powered hosted PBX functionality with scalable, carrier-grade reliability, serving over 13 million UC subscriber lines across more than 80 countries and counting 25 of the top 30 global telecom providers as customers by 2015 revenue.[1] BroadSoft targeted service providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, BT, and Vonage, solving the shift from premise-based PBX systems to cost-effective, cloud-delivered UC amid rising enterprise demand for scalable communications.[1][3]
The company demonstrated strong growth through market leadership in VoIP and UCaaS, with innovations like SIP-based application servers and strategic acquisitions. It was acquired by Cisco in 2018 for approximately $1.9 billion, integrating BroadWorks into Cisco's portfolio while continuing to support telecom partners.[3][5]
BroadSoft was founded in 1998 in Delaware by Michael Tessler, former vice president at Alcatel USA, and Scott Hoffpauir, a Celcore executive, initially as a VoIP pioneer targeting service providers before widespread cloud or SIP adoption.[1][2][5] Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the company launched its flagship BroadWorks platform in 2001, betting on SIP to separate application layers from infrastructure and evangelizing its use with early device vendors and partners.[1][2]
Key pivots shaped its trajectory: In 2001, amid the U.S. CLEC market collapse, BroadSoft expanded sales to receptive markets in Southeast Asia and Australia for vital early traction.[2] During the 2008 economic downturn, it acquired competitors Sylantro and GENBAND's M6 application server, boosting market share and revenue.[2] These moves, combined with products like Call Center Xpress in 2012, solidified its position until Cisco's 2018 acquisition.[4]
BroadSoft stood out in the UC market through these key strengths:
BroadSoft rode the transition from premise-based PBX to cloud UC, capitalizing on broadband growth, SIP standardization, and enterprise demand for scalable collaboration over IP networks.[1][2] Its timing aligned with VoIP's rise in the early 2000s and UCaaS expansion, outlasting rivals like Level 3's 3Tone and AT&T's Callvantage by enabling telcos to efficiently offer advanced services.[2]
Market forces like carrier-grade reliability needs and IMS/VoLTE adoption favored BroadSoft, influencing the ecosystem by kickstarting the application server category and powering global providers' UC deployments.[1][2] The 2018 Cisco acquisition amplified this, embedding BroadWorks into a major player's portfolio amid hybrid work trends, though it faces competition from Webex and rising maintenance costs.[3]
Post-2018 acquisition, BroadSoft's BroadWorks endures as Cisco's leading cloud voice platform, with ongoing innovations in Teams/Zoom integrations and support for telecom partners, despite Cisco's Webex push.[3] Trends like AI-driven communications, 5G convergence, and UCaaS consolidation will shape its path, potentially increasing operational costs but leveraging Cisco's integration history (e.g., Aironet, PIX).[3]
Its influence may evolve toward deeper hybrid ecosystem roles, sustaining telecom-delivered UC while businesses weigh migration risks—positioning it as a stable backbone in cloud communications' next phase, much like its foundational VoIP pivot decades ago.[2][3]